2014 GED changes set clock ticking for current students

The changes are designed to make it more relevant for adults seeking higher education and jobs.

By ANGIE MASON

Daily Record/Sunday News

Posted:
09/21/2013 07:18:28 PM EDT

Vicki Talley began working to get her GED because she wants a career and a better life for her four children.

Last year, she passed four sections of the test - writing, reading, social studies and science. But she still has to one to go - math.

She's hoping to pass that by the end of October. She wants to start studying at HACC, but there are other reasons to finish soon.

A new GED - the path to high school equivalency credentials for those without a diploma - is on the way for 2014. And those who have started the current version have to finish all the sections by the end of 2013, or else they'll have to start all over next year.

Local agencies offering test preparation have been trying to spread the word and make sure those who need to finish their GED can try to do so before the deadline.

Talley, of York, said she found out about two months ago that the new test was coming, and she'd have to finish the last section or risk having to start all over next year.

It gave her a little push, she said. She's thankful that she's already passed the other sections and just has the math test left, adding: "December is just around the corner."

Changes coming

Officials with GED Testing Service, the organization that creates the GED, say the new test will help better prepare adults for higher education and jobs.

During a web presentation on the changes, Randy Trask, president of the service, said that there are 40 million adults without a high school diploma in the country, calling it "an alarming number.

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" At the same time, there are 4 million unfilled jobs, and most require something beyond a high school diploma.

"We need to give these adults a fighting chance," he said. The new GED will hold up in today's "tech-savvy world."

Among the changes, the writing and reading sections have been combined into a literacy section, bringing the number of test sections down to four. It's aligned with new educational standards aimed at preparing students for college or career. Test takers now have the option of taking the test on paper or computer, but the 2014 tests will all be computer-based.

GED officials said the new program will include an online system designed to support the test takers as they prepare and move on from the GED.

Bob Shaffer, GED coordinator at the York County School of Technology, said that the GED has changed every decade or so.

"It's designed to be more relevant to what people will have to know to be in the workplace as well as to go on to college," Shaffer said. "So many people in the past (would) get their GED and say, 'I'm done.' More and more, people wanted to go on to technical school or a job where they have to have some computer skills."

The new test will require some basic computer and keyboarding skills, he said, and the math section will be a little more difficult.

It will also have more types of questions, according to the GED website. The current test is largely multiple choice with some essays.

End of the current test

Students can study on their own or get help through preparation programs for the GED. In Pennsylvania, students who have passed the GED are eligible for a diploma from the state.

The tech school and the Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12 receive state and federal funds to provide adult basic education programs, including GED preparation classes, according to Tim Eller, state education spokesman.

Laura Martin, caseworker for the Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12's adult education program in York County, said they have been trying to spread the word about the changes coming.

It would be discouraging for someone who has taken a few sections of the test to find out in January or February that they have to start over. Students who have to start over in 2014 would also have to pay for the test again.

The 2014 test cost is $120 for all sections, though some states may choose to subsidize some of that cost for test takers, according to Armando Diaz, spokesman for GED Testing Service. In Pennsylvania, the cost ranges from $50 to $130, depending on the test center, he said.

Shaffer said the tech school enrolls about 500 people in GED preparation programs every year. They've been working since the spring to try to make sure people know about the shift, he said. There's great demand for test spots now.

"We informed classes there's a one- to five-week waiting period to take a test," he said, adding that anyone who's thinking about it should sign up now.

There are about 175 people enrolled in the tech school's classes right now, and about 100 are trying to get done this year.

The length of preparation time needed for the test varies. Some students who are just getting started might be better off waiting.

Martin said it's not typical for someone to walk in and finish their GED in two or three months. Students should feel free to start now, she said, but not get frustrated if they don't get it done by year's end. She wouldn't want students to rush and not be ready for the test.

Headed toward the finish line

Michelle Williams, 39, started studying for the GED in May.

She dropped out of high school when she was 17 and pregnant. Then she had another child.

Now, her daughter has graduated from college, and her son has finished high school. If they could do it, she decided, she could, too.

She is scheduled to take the math section of the GED, the last section she needs to pass, on Thursday. She's aware of the change coming next year.

"That's why I'm getting done," the York resident said. She's been taking preparation classes at the tech school's King Street center in York.

She had set a personal goal of being done by September anyway, she said, but there's a little more of a rush now. Having to take the new test would be "more of a headache."

Talley said she's glad to be nearly finished with her GED, though she said the new test might be helpful for those who still have to take it.

She said she wishes those who take the new test luck, and she urged people to take advantage of the GED program.

It's nothing to be embarrassed about, she said. It's a way to get ahead. Her kids are excited for her, and they all share their grades and work.

"I thank God I'm almost at the finish line," Talley said.

Preparation programs adapting

Tim Eller, state education spokesman, said that over the last year and a half, there has been professional development to help the grant-funded GED preparation programs address the requirements of the new test coming in 2014.

At an event in August, there was a session focused on helping students meet the new college and career readiness standards in reading, writing and math.

The state is working on more professional development over the next two program years, and many providers have participated in web sessions offered by GED Testing Service, he said in an email.

Bob Shaffer, GED coordinator at the York County School of Technology, said the school is in the process of preparing its program for the new test and will be upgrading its curriculum.

The state education department provides funding for adult education and GED preparation classes at York County School of Technology, Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, and Tri-County OIC, which offers a class at Red Land High School, according to Tim Eller, state education spokesman. The classes are free.

But the state department is not the only source of funding for such services, and some entities offer them for a fee. So there might be other GED preparation services in York County, he said.

HACC partners with New Hope Ministries and the York County Literacy Council in Hanover to provide free GED classes to those with limited transportation options, Robin Paulson, director of adult information at HACC, said in a statement.

HACC provides space at the Hanover Center for Workforce Excellence, and New Hope and the literacy council secure sponsorships to support other costs.

HACC also provides GED services in Dauphin County with state and federal funding.

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